New England Revolution, Orlando City SC look to stay in playoff hunt

The New England Revolution will aim to extend their five-game winning streak in their Saturday match against struggling hosts Orlando City SC.

Despite holding a nine-game unbeaten streak, Orlando City (4-2-5, 17 points) has struggled to get on the scoresheet throughout their past few MLS matches. Four of the Lions' last five league games have been scoreless draws.

The focus will be on starting striker Duncan McGuire, who is still waiting for his first league goal in eight MLS appearances. McGuire's scoring slump has hampered an inconsistent Orlando offense throughout the season.

"The first one is always the hardest to get," McGuire told reporters on Friday. McGuire broke his scoring drought after finding the net in Orlando's 5-0 romp over the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday. "Once you get the first one, the rest seem to come soon.

"Hopefully, Wednesday was the start of a lot of goals."

Saturday's match is especially crucial as both teams look to jostle their way into playoff positioning. Orlando is eighth in the Eastern Conference, while New England (5-4-1, 16 points) sits in ninth. A loss for either side could take them out of the playoff hunt going into the summer.

New England will use their frustrating defense against Orlando City in an attempt to take home all three points. The Revolution have conceded just two goals in their last six matches, largely thanks to their compact formation and physical defenders.

New England's Carles Gil is making a name for himself as one of the league's best players. His five goals and an assist over the past six matches combined with his technical quality make the Spanish midfielder feared among MLS defenses.

"As far as a pure chance creator or assist guy, he's the best guy I've coached," Revs manager Caleb Porter said. "I've had some good players that produce goals in that spot at the 10. But in terms of a setup guy, he's the best guy that I've had. I've had (Lucas) Zelarayan and (Diego) Valeri, some really, really good players in that spot.

"But he is a great pro and a great guy, and you just see how hard he works."

--Field Level Media